Parachute



Jan. 1'5,'1946. R. c. QUILTER 2,392,946

4 I PARACHUTE Filed Oct. 27, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J'RC. @UMER ATTORNEY- Patented Jan. 15, 1946 stares PATENT o F'Fl-CE 2,392,946 PARACHUTE John-Raymond .Cuthbert-Quilter, Wokin'g, England ApplicatiomOctober-:27, 1942, SerialNo.-463;519 I i-Great- Britain Septemlier26, 1941 3 Claims.

p rachutes for-aviativeto thedescendingparachute as to make the flightinorestable.

The invention has also for its objects toprovidemeans for'boosting the initial-inflation of the parachute canopyand means for determining the-orientation of the parachute and para? chutist relative to the-wind.

Other objects and advah'tages of the invention will hereinafter-appear from the subsequent description, given with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

shows in elevation, one half in section, a first embodiment of the invention.

Fig.:2 is a detail in section on the line,.2 2 of Fig. 1; ona larger scale.

Fig. 3 is a-'p'erspective view, as seen obliquely from below, of a modification of this embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4 shows in elevation, one half in section, another embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a detail in section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, on a larger scale.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the parachute comprises a canopy a, built up in the usual manner from a plurality of approximately triangular gores or sectors b, for example from twenty-four to thirty-two in number, and a corresponding number of shroud lines c extending at 0 along the seams of the two panels and over the top of the canopy. The parachute also comprises a lip or curtain it built up from a like number of rhomboidal panels e, each forming an outward extension of one of the main gores b the curtain, which increases the flow of air into the canopy so as to give an added boost to the initial inflation of the canopy, may be composed of silk or like material similar to that used for the canopy a. The gathering lines f at the junctions of the curtainpanels are connected by vanes g to the shroud lines 0 below the canopy, and are also connected together by a cord h extending along the free edge of the curtain, all these lines 1 and h as well as the vanes 9 being kept taut by the upward pressure of air against the inclined lip or curtain it during the descent of the parachute;v

one ofthe gores b, viz. the gate located next to and on the left hand side of the vertical center line of: Fig. 1',*is cut out to afiord a triangular opening -i of almost the samearea as each 10f the. bores b, leaving only narrowmargins b for the seams attached tothe shroud line extensions c at the sides of this opening, and a narrow strip 192 for connecting togetherthe edges of the gores. bon-oppositev sides ofthe opening organ, and. for: seaming to I the corresponding. curtain panel e at the periphery of the canopy. Through this. opening 2' the enclosed air, including thatted by thewcurtain d, can escapeirom the interior of thecanopy, the: greater part of this air pass n through the broader portion near the periphery, and a 1 substantially horizontal direction; the narrower. portion of the opening, near its apical extremity i may .form a substitute for the ordinary vent at the middle of the canopy, such vent being omitted. Fig. 3 :shows'amodification, in-which the'l-i-p or curtaind extends only partlyaround the periphery 'ofthe canopy, and at the-sideopposite tothelateral aperture/i through which theair escapes from... the interior; asv shown, there; are fivepanels in the curtain, the-'middlethree B being of approximately rectangular shape, butthe two panels; e 'atthe ends of the. curtain being 10f bevelled or triangular shape to merge with the periphery of the canopy a. The curtain is maintained at a suitable inclination by the lines J and h, as well as by the vanes g connected to the shroud lines c, as in the first embodiment described, in order to deflect air towards the interior of the canopy during descent; the air thus displaced from the interior by the action of the curtain escapes in a substantially horizontal direction through the opening i, the curtain d therefore intensifying the efiect of the aperture 2' as regards stabilizing and orienting the descending parachute, as well as giving the added boost to the initial inflation of the canopy. In this em bodiment of the invention, the canopy is shown provided with a central area a encircled by a reinforcement ring :i to which the shroud line extensions 0 are connected; the opening 1' does not therefore continue up to the center of the canopy, its narrower extremity i being located at the position of the canopy reinforcement ring a, so that the aperture has the approximate shape of a wedge frustum.

Figs. 4 and 5 represent another embodiment of the invention, in which the canopy a i provided with an apertured gore afiording an opening 1 similar to that in the first embodiment described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, the lip or devices such as press-stud fasteners Z co-operatmg with corresponding devices upon the heme or margins b of the apertured gore, and its base 10 is sewn to the peripheral strip or margin'b of the said gore.

The apex of this removable gore kis fitted with a reinforcing tab or web m, from which a line or cord n is passed through one or more guide loops or rings 0 at the base of the apertured gore, this cord being continued along with the shroud lines 0 to a convenient point onthe harness, flying suit or. other garment worn by the parachutist; the cord n is of such length that it will remain slack when the parachute is deployed and fully open, but it can then be operated by the parachutist at the appropriatemoment, for example by means of a handle or D-shaped ring, in order topull.

back the removable gore is from the canopy a, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5, thereby freeing the opening i so that the air from within the canopy a can escape in a radial direction determined by the momentary position of the said opening. v a

It will be understood that in the above embodiments of the invention, the presenceof the lateral aperture .orapertures so alters the air flow relative to the descending parachute as to make the flight i more stable. The tendency, of the parachutist to swing like a pendulum is almost entirely overcome or damped by the out-of-balance efiect of the eccentrically apertured canopy; and at the same time the substantiallyhorizontal air current through the-aperture has a. tendency to control the orientation of the canopy in'relation to the-wind. The force of the air cur-v rent-meeting-the force of the wind will tend .to bring theapertured side oflthecanopy downwind, sothat the vent or aperture always sets itself inthe down-wind direction; consequently,

orientation may take place whenever the parachute descends into a stratum where the wind has a difierent direction from that in the stratum "through which the parachute has just descended,

so that in the case of a normal drop from a considerable altitude, the parachutist will still alight facing down-wind when he reaches the ground,

although the wind may have changed during the descent.

What I claim is:

1. A parachute comprising a canopy having a continuous periphery of substantially circular shape when fully deployed, load lines connected to-the periphery of said canopy, said canopy being apertured to provide an opening for flowof air to the exterior during normal descent, said opening being of approximately triangular shape with its apex towards the center of said canopy and its base adjacent to but spaced from the periphery, a part of the continuous periphery forming a spacing connection between Opposite sides of said opening above its base, a triangular closure for said opening, said closure being attached to said canopy adjacent to the base of said opening, disconnectible fastener devices along two sides of said closure, and co-operating fastener devices upon said canopy adjacent to two corresponding sides of said opening,

2. A gored parachute canopy having one gore completely removed, with periphery andapex bands retained. Y r a r 3. A parachute canopy formed by a plurality of gores of substantially equal dimensions, the number of said gores being one less than the number required to cover thev area of said canopt, and continuous :bands'forming the peripheral and apical zonesof said canopy.

JOHN RAYMOND cu'rnnne'r .QUIL'IER. 

